No official presentation but a few photos sent to the press accompanied by the following texts and non-integrated videos, the LCR Honda team presents its 2018 liveries…
Lucio Cecchinello (LCR Team Director): “2018 will be our 13th season in MotoGP: I hope this number brings us luck! Joking aside, I'm confident we're ready to take on the category's protagonists. Cal trained very hard during the winter break, as he always does, and Honda did a great job on the development of the bike: the winter test results speak for themselves. We are ready to start now and I warmly thank Honda, HRC and all our partners and sponsors for their renewed confidence in our project. »
Lucio Cecchinello profile
Lucio Cecchinello, Team Manager and former top 125cc rider, has been one of the true personalities of the Grand Prix paddock since his beginnings in the 80s, and his passion for the sport is the same as it was on day one.
At the age of 7, Lucio disassembled the old engine of his father's motorcycle, and this was his first step in his future "racing life". He initially worked as a mechanic for national and international teams and in 1989 he began racing in the Italian Production Sport Championship before moving to the European Championship in 1991 and, two years later, move on to the Grands Prix. The year 1996 was the first turning point: Lucio organized his own small team for the World Championship in the 125 category, achieving several important results in the top 10. It was the same in 1997 and, in 1998, after 4 Grands Prix, Lucio obtains his first victory in the World Championship. He remained with Honda until 2000, gaining further important results in the small class, and in 2001 the team left the Japanese manufacturer to move to Aprilia. Lucio finished the championship in 4th place, repeating the same result in 2002. In 2003, his final season as a professional driver, Lucio finally crossed the line in 1st place at the Italian GP at Mugello, scoring thus his career with a total of 19 podiums, 7 victories and 4 pole positions. Today, he is the renowned and highly appreciated Team Manager of the LCR Honda Team in the premier category, as well as a member of the IRTA committee (Internal committee of paddock teams involved in the improvement and development of the MotoGP Championship).
History of the LCR team
The LCR Team (Lucio Cecchinello Racing) was born in 1996 when Lucio decided to found his own team following in the footsteps of other racing champions who had done the same thing successfully. From just two mechanics and a van, the LCR team has grown over the years into a complex and highly organized structure. After nine years in the 125cc category, five years in the 250cc category, the LCR is entering the MotoGP category (since 2006) with two riders and 46 highly qualified employees.
With over 500 races contested in all three categories, the LCR Team has aligned itself with top international drivers such as Nobby Ueda, Alex De Angelis, Mattia Pasini, Randy De Puniet, Roberto Locatelli, Carlos Checa, Casey Stoner, Stefan Bradl, Jack Miller, Cal Crutchlow and many others.
79 podiums, 23 victories, 2 "Rookie of the Year", 1 Runner-Up Award and titles of 'Best Independent Team' are the best illustration of the daily work carried out by Lucio and the members of the team for more than 20 years competition.
Today, the LCR team aligns Cal Crtuchlow under the name LCR Honda Castrol and Takaaki Nagami under the name LCR Honda Idemitsu.
